New Delhi (NewsReach) : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Center has decided to reduce the areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur after decades of unrest. He said that the Government of India is moving towards an important step under the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Decades later, the states of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur have decided to decongest the disturbed areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Significantly, for the past several decades, there has been a demand for removal of AFSPA from the political parties of the North East. The demand for this has also been very strong in the BJP ruled states of Nagaland and Manipur. Manipur CM Biren Singh had also made it an election promise.
What are the provisions of this powerful act
Under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA), the central government, on the basis of the report of the governor, declares a state or area as disturbed and deploys central security forces there. Under the AFSPA, the armed forces have the right to conduct operations anywhere and to arrest anyone without a prior warrant.
